Payroll analyst vs benefits clerk

The differences between payroll analysts and benefits clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a payroll analyst and a benefits clerk. Additionally, a payroll analyst has an average salary of $54,217, which is higher than the $34,841 average annual salary of a benefits clerk.

The top three skills for a payroll analyst include customer service, payroll system and payroll data. The most important skills for a benefits clerk are payroll system, data entry, and open enrollment.

Payroll analyst vs benefits clerk overview

	Payroll Analyst	Benefits Clerk
Yearly salary	$54,217	$34,841
Hourly rate	$26.07	$16.75
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	15,555	75,454
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	4	4

Payroll analyst vs benefits clerk salary

Payroll analysts and benefits clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Payroll Analyst	Benefits Clerk
Average salary	$54,217	$34,841
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $74,000	Between $27,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City	Olympia, WA	Los Angeles, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	Minnesota
Best paying company	Varian Medical Systems	Monarch Casino & Resort
Best paying industry	Technology	Government

Differences between payroll analyst and benefits clerk education

There are a few differences between a payroll analyst and a benefits clerk in terms of educational background:

	Payroll Analyst	Benefits Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Payroll analyst vs benefits clerk demographics

Here are the differences between payroll analysts' and benefits clerks' demographics:

	Payroll Analyst	Benefits Clerk
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 24.2% Female, 75.8%	Male, 13.3% Female, 86.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.1% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%	Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 5.9% White, 58.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between payroll analyst and benefits clerk duties and responsibilities

Payroll analyst example responsibilities.

Manage all activities relate to base pay, overtime, PTO, garnishments and payroll tax.
Perform monthly accounting functions including journal entries, general ledger account reconciliations, benefit and salary accruals, and headcount reconciliations.
Create PowerPoint slides to train new timekeepers and managers in KRONOS.
Lead functional tester in support of timekeeping, payroll and labor upgrades and conversion projects.
Support the third-party web applications like KRONOS and custom-built time entry systems to input the time data
Enter new hires, terminations, and employee maintenance changes into HRIS & ADP including process employee benefit elections.

Benefits clerk example responsibilities.

Examine HMO documents to verify eligibility to process or reject into or from a manage care plan when necessary.
Enter employee data in HRIS system.
Used ADP HR/B software for benefits enrollment and reports.
Maintain retirement (401k) plan, FMLA and personnel records.
Monitor FMLA, CFRA, PDL, and personal leave of absence and premiums payments.
Update and maintain benefits data in the HRIS system to ensure accuracy and integrity of employee information.

Payroll analyst vs benefits clerk skills

Common payroll analyst skills

Customer Service, 11%
Payroll System, 6%
Payroll Data, 4%
Human Resources, 4%
Reconciliations, 4%
Data Entry, 3%

Common benefits clerk skills

Payroll System, 17%
Data Entry, 8%
Open Enrollment, 7%
Cobra, 7%
HRIS, 5%
Human Resources, 5%